The beauty in paper-folded flowers

ZUYUAN ZHOU LIFE AND ARTS EDITOR

Whether it is the breeze in the air or a cupid’s arrow, around the corner, every February, is love and a flower bouquet.

The fragrance, beauty, and elegance that flowers attain do not just come from their very existence, but by the way they fall victim to time, drying out and slowly wilting, reminding those around them that nothing is eternal. Paper flowers, on the other hand, carry a perennial beauty in their petals, something that is not present in real, ephemeral flowers.

Paper flowers imitate the beauty of fresh flowers, but are the fruits of labor from the fingertips of pensive human hands instead of mother nature’s. These flowers do not grow under the sunlight or trickles of water. Instead, they grow from each meticulous and gentle fold, push, and crease. By Plato’s definition of art – “art imitates the objects and events of ordinary life” – choosing to give paper over real flowers is considered as giving someone art. Every human-made art piece, whether that be poems, sculptures, or paintings, contains a sliver of the human soul. Making a bouquet of paper flowers and giving it to a friend, family, or loved one is essentially saying, “I am giving you a piece of myself.”

Paper is the bearer of human creativity. It subjects itself to the smooth graphite during sketches and the weaving of inky words. However, the art of folding paper gives itself a spotlight. It takes plenty of patience and diligence to make a big bouquet of paper flowers. One has to spend a lot of time folding the paper and gluing the same shapes repeatedly. A bouquet of paper flowers translates one’s willingness to do something for another and the amount of dedication they will put into the act. If real flowers represent love in the month of February, let paper flowers represent a long lasting love; one full of longevity.

Are you a florist? Because I’ve always wanted to put our tulips together.

I think someone must have stolen the stars and put them in your eyes.

I’m not an organ donor but I would be happy to give you my heart.

WRITTEN BY VIVIAN NGUYEN

When I’m around you, I can’t think straight

If you were a transformer, you’d be Optimus Fine!

Are you a bank loan? Because you have my interest.